The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is set to serve up four days of top-class National Hunt racing from 26–29 December 2025, with seven Grade 1 contests forming the backbone of the meeting.
From novice stars to established chasers and hurdlers, it is the week when Cheltenham clues, festive reunions, and Dublin’s social scene all collide on one racecourse.
Across the four days, there are 28 races, live music, and course-wide entertainment, making it one of Ireland’s most important sporting and social gatherings.
Each day carries at least one major Grade 1, with leading Irish and British yards targeting Leopardstown as a midwinter proving ground.
Savills Chase day and the closing card featuring the December Hurdle are particularly rich in Cheltenham pointers, drawing many of the sport’s most familiar names.
Day 1 – Racing Post Novice Chase
The opening day is headlined by the Racing Post Novice Chase, a Grade 1 over about 2m1f for four-year-olds and up, worth around €100,000 and traditionally one of the key two‑mile novice chases of the season.
Recent winners include Douvan and Found A Fifty, underlining how often this race produces future festival and even Champion Chase contenders.
Ante‑post markets suggest a short‑priced favourite in Kopek Des Bordes, from Willie Mullins, ahead of Gordon Elliott’s Romeo Collio, and July Flower from Henry De Bromhead.
With classy novices often running in the same colours as star hurdlers, it is the kind of race that attracts punters who move through an Apple Pay casino as smoothly as they scan the day’s betting card.
Day 2 – Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase
Saturday’s feature is the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase, a Grade 1 over 2m1f for five‑year‑olds and up with a prize fund of roughly €125,000.
This is a specialist two‑mile chase that has become a natural target for top-class Irish speed chasers on the road to the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham.
Early prices point to Marine Nationale heading the market, with Majborough, Found A Fifty, and Dinoblue all prominent in single figures, hinting at a deep and impressive field.
The official race conditions put the geldings at 11st 12lb with mares receiving 7lb, so any top‑class mare turning up would enjoy a decent advantage on the scales.
Day 3 – Christmas Hurdle
Day three is branded Savills Chase Day and also features the Christmas Hurdle, a 3m Grade 1 staying hurdle for four‑year‑olds and up, carrying prize money of about €150,000.
The race has a strong roll of honour, with recent renewals won by high‑class types such as Irish Point and Home By The Lee.
Provisional entries from the live lists include names like Ballyburn, Bob Olinger, the Cheltenham Stayer’s Hurdle Champion, and Teahupoo, the runner-up, suggesting a mix of up‑and‑coming talents and seasoned graded performers.
With up to 17 runners pencilled in, punters can expect a tactical contest where proven stamina over 3m and an ability to handle typically testing Leopardstown ground are at a premium.
Day 3 – Savills Chase
The Savills Chase is the centrepiece of the third day, a Grade 1 over 3m1/2f for five‑year‑olds and up with a first prize of just over €100,00.
It is a genuine blue‑riband staying chase, with previous winners including Conflated, A Plus Tard, Delta Work, and Kemboy.
Among 2025’s 21 early entries, Grey Dawning leaps off the page after a dominant Betfair Chase success at Haydock, and he is expected to be high in the betting if he travels.
Two-time Gold Cup winner, Galopin Des Champs, looks set to make his seasonal return alongside the John Durkan Memorial Chase winner, Gaelic Warrior.
Several other classy runners pad out a typically strong Irish home defence, including Fact To File from Willie Mullins, Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin, from Gavin Cromwell, and Fastorslow from Martin Brassil.
Day 4 – December Hurdle
The final day features the December Hurdle, a Grade 1 over 2m for four‑year‑olds and up, with around €90,000 going to the winner.
This is the major midwinter two‑mile hurdle in Ireland and often shapes the Champion Hurdle narrative for the rest of the season.
Current entry lists highlight Lossiemouth as the headline act among 11 possible runners, who is also the Champion Hurdle favourite and clearly the one they all have to beat if she lines up.
Having just put in the performance of her life, winning the Morgiana Hurdle by a staggering 19 lengths at Punchestown in November, she is mare is already odds on to take the December Hurdle.
She will have some competition, including Anzadam, Casheldale Lad, and established chaser‑turned‑hurdler El Fabiolo, ensuring that even if plans change, the race should retain real depth.
All Eyes On The Christmas Festival
As the final runners head out on day four, the whole meeting comes into focus. Leopardstown at Christmas is more than a set of Grade 1 races.
It is a place where form takes shape, families wrap up for a day out, and trainers weigh up their next move before the spring.
You get sharp two-mile clashes, long tests for stayers, and the odd new star who uses this week to step forward for the first time.
What makes it special is the mix. You might stand beside a long-time owner, a casual punter, or a group that comes every year for the music and the buzz. Everyone is watching for clues, hoping to spot the horse that will light up Cheltenham.
By the time the last hurdle has been crossed, you leave with notes, memories, and the sense that the road to March has truly begun.
